Illustrative Technical Strategy and Approach

Honduras Unidad Local de Asistencia Técnica (ULAT) Project

Our strategy is to connect all aspects of systemic reform to Hondurans who are unable to access health services or for whom services are inadequate, especially for maternal and child health (MCH) and family planning (FP) services. Our approach helps key actors in the health system—especially the MOH, Honduran Social Security Institute (IHSS) and NGO service providers—to quickly turn guiding visions and frameworks for improved coverage, quality and access into health impact for underserved and vulnerable groups. Our approach takes into account two central challenges: first, as sector reform advances, roles and responsibilities for public, private and NGO stakeholders will become more distinct, at the same time that disparate organizational missions and functions have to realign and integrate to achieve shared objectives.

Under our organization, ULAT will continue to energize this process, acting as the “honest broker” of sector integration, helping actors to restructure, reorient and manage for results along health service and patient lifecycle continuums of care. Our technical assistance at critical junctures—evidence-based decision-making, continuing quality improvement, good standards of community care and involvement of citizens in feedback on health service effectiveness—keeps all sector actors focused on the goal: improved health for the most vulnerable.

Second, as the new health care service model is finalized, process innovations will be required at all levels of the sector in three major areas: service portfolios, management regimes and finance mechanisms. ULAT will shepherd needed sector innovations so that they are treated systemically: codified in policy and the legal and regulatory frameworks, backed by human and financial resource allocations, and supported through organizational and health staff capacity building. This systemic approach ensures feasibility and sustainability.